Hurtigruten orders third new expedition ship

The Norwegian cruise company says the hybrid-powered ship will be one of the most environmentally friendly ever seen.

A boom in building new state-of-the-art expedition cruise ships is continuing. Hurtigruten, which already has two next-generation ships under construction, has announced an order for a third hybrid expedition ship for delivery in Q2 2021.

Norway’s cruise and ferry line placed the order for the 530-guest vessel at the Kleven Verft shipyards near Ålesund on the Norwegian coast, which Hurtigruten now owns.

“This ground-breaking vessel will take our guests to some of the most spectacular areas of our planet, in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way than ever seen before.”

Greenest ever
The design, construction, engineering and advanced technology of the vessel is to be based on the two ships currently under construction at the Norwegian yard, Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen.

The new hybrid powered expedition ship will be custom-built for some of the most extreme conditions on the planet, with a specially designed ice-strengthened hull.

The green features on the new ship include substantially larger battery packs, the company says.

“These are greener, more advanced cruise ships than the world has ever seen – and ships that will raise standards for the whole industry to follow, as we enter a new era of expedition cruising driven by sustainability,” Skjeldam added.